1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an air evacuation assembly and methods of using the same, and in particular to an assembly used to evacuate air from a conventional sealable plastic bag and to form an air tight seal, and to the methods of using the same.
2. Background of the Invention
Plastic bags are widely used to store a variety of items. In one environment, the kitchen, the bags are typically of the disposable or single use variety. Sealable bags are among the most common types. It is commonly understood that it is desirable to remove or evacuate as much of the internal air as possible in a storage situation, in order to preserve the freshness of the contents, and accordingly to increase the item's shelf life.
A number of patents have issued over the years purporting to evacuate air from a bag or container. Some examples include:
U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,402 to Russell is titled Vacuum Storage System and method, and teaches a vacuum storage system and method in which a lid closure is punctured. A vacuum pump is then taught to remove atmospheric gas from the container and the lid is sealed with a valve or thin film held in place with an adhesive.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,197,860 to Hughes, et al. is titled Method and Apparatus for Vacuum Sealing, and discloses a device configured to remove air from zipper-sealed bags and is in communication with a vacuum source.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,397 to Bachhuber is titled Self Sealing Storage System and Patch Thereof, and shows a self-sealing storage bag with an adhesive patch constructed as part of the bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,217 to Smith is titled Vacuum Sealing Methods and Apparatus, and shows an article comprising a hand-held vacuum source for evacuating a zipper-type bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,136 to Carcano is titled Device and Method for Creating a Vacuum in Bags, and discloses an inner tube that can slide axially inside an outer tube to insert into a bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,680 to Lau is titled Vacuum Packing Device, and discloses a battery-powered, hand-held device for evacuating air from and sealing a plastic bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,445 to Chen is titled Handy Vacuum Pump and heat Sealer Combination Device, and discloses a vacuum pump and heat sealer combination device for evacuating air from a thermoplastic bag and sealing food inside the bag. A small-scale heat sealer and vacuum pump are required, as are batteries.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,595 to Sanderson is titled Method of Sterilizing and Storing Articles, wherein one or more valves are shown to result in a vacuumized sterile package.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,804 to Maruscak is titled Household System for Vacuum Packing Foods, and teaches the use of a suction tube and a needle valve for penetrating the wall of a container are shown.
U.S. Pat. No. D513,924 shows an ornamental design of a hand-held vacuum apparatus. United States Published Patent Application Number US2007/0154118 to Tilman shows a polymeric package with resealable closure and valve and methods relating thereto.
United States Published Patent Application Number US2009/0026401 to Dobkins is titled Systems and Methods for Vacuum Sealing. This patent application shows a valve assembly for vacuum sealing a collapsible storage bag. Two valve parts, with a portion of the wall there between, causes the wall to break and/or puncture.
Japanese Patent Number JP 404189752A is titled Opening and Closing Device for Bag Evacuation Opening.
None of these references show a system wherein a check valve within the valve assembly operates to seal a pump cavity during operation evacuation of the air from a bag.
None of these references show both a valve assembly with a check valve and a pump with a check valve, wherein both check valves operate along the same longitudinal axis.
None of these references show an internal cavity with one or more retainers holding a check ball within the cavity, yet allowing air to escape around the check ball.
None of these references show a valve assembly having two twistably or rotatably engaging valve pieces.
None of these references show an internal gasket for creating a seal with bags of various thicknesses, and that allows valve pieces to be rotatably engaged without causing the bag to bunch or bind.
None of these references show a rib on the outside of an outer piece that selectably mates with a ridge in the end of a pump or a ridge within a cap.
Thus there exists a need for an air evacuation assembly and methods of using the same that solves these and other problems.